Being a friend

Almost all of us have hundreds or thousands of friends on our facebook account. We enjoy to be informed and to stay current with what is happening in the lives of many of our acquaintances and even people we have not met personally whom we call our friends. Sometimes, our preoccupation is on having friends. Perhaps, it’s time for us to redirect ourselves to focus on being a friend.

One day, I asked my 9-year old son if he had found true friends in his new school. With exaggeration he said, “I’ve got hundreds of friends and I’ve been a good friend to them.” Well, I was a bit elated with his good news. I told him to value his new found friends in school because they are like treasures that are hard to find. I encouraged him to be a good influence to them even if they don’t share the same beliefs and standards and to always be a friend rather than have hundreds of friends.

There are many definitions of what it means to be a friend. Being a friend means giving our true self to help our friends in every way. Being true to them is one manifestation of a real friend. True friends influence those with whom they associate to rise a little higher and be a little better. Being a true friend is one of the most precious thingswe can do in mortality. We should not stop being a friend to those who are around us. Perhaps it is the word commitment that unlocks the real meaning of being a true friend.